tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post7268622106335937280..comments2016-12-08T11:10:00.186-05:00Comments on Boston 1775: Samuel Whittemore and Memory CreepJ. L. Bellnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-61611748620223169492013-06-24T10:27:15.026-05:002013-06-24T10:27:15.026-05:00Hello -
Due to the proliferation of Sam Whittemore...Hello -<br />Due to the proliferation of Sam Whittemore, &quot;Badass,&quot; posts these days, I will overcome my reluctance to comment on his story. <br />The &quot;Badass of the Week&quot; version of the Samuel Whittemore legend menioned in the previous post is so strewn with inaccuracies that it should be completely disregarded. <br />Whittemore was born NOT in England, but in Charlestown in 1696, part of the flourishing Whittemore clan based in that town. <br />The very reliable and incredibly thorough Whittemore family genealogy published in serial form in the 1953-1954 editions of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register (1953, pp. 28-30) notes that Whittemore belonged to a military unit termed &quot;the Royal Dragoons&quot; before the Revolution. Paige&#39;s History of Cambridge (p. 668) terms him &quot;Captain of Dragoons,&quot; which seems closer to the truth. I have not located any published material on his service with what was most likely a provincial unit involved in the 1745 Louisburg expedition. Although I do not have my notes with me at the moment, I do not recall finding Samuel Whittemore in any of the Society of Colonial Wars in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts&#39;s very useful reference works on Massachusetts officers and soldiers in the French Wars of the first half of the 18th century. <br />If anyone can source the detailed stories about his Louisburg exploits and his English birth, found in blog posts such as the one mentioned, I&#39;d be grateful. PKienlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-37558996270595096282011-04-03T16:22:05.175-05:002011-04-03T16:22:05.175-05:00It&#39;s funny how history can get turned into leg...It&#39;s funny how history can get turned into legend (such as &quot;King&quot; Arthur).<br />Reading your blog was a good read, and I know I&#39;m a year late, but thanks.<br />The best version I&#39;ve ever read was on this site: http://www.badassoftheweek.com/whittemore.htmlRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574025785063224560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-86496446532582345922010-05-02T21:23:01.151-05:002010-05-02T21:23:01.151-05:00Thanks for the comment! Whittemore’s story has pro...Thanks for the comment! Whittemore’s story has prompted a series of reactions from me over the years. When I first read it, it was simply stirring. Then when I realized that some versions were exaggerated, I became got skeptical of the whole tale. Yet more research shows that the basic facts about Whittemore’s wounds are probably true. Admirers of the man ended up doing his memory a disservice by giving curmudgeons like me reason to doubt it.J. L. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-20139751440372512622010-05-02T21:02:31.344-05:002010-05-02T21:02:31.344-05:00J.L., Great post! I heard about Whittemore from a ...J.L., Great post! I heard about Whittemore from a source I&#39;m pretty sure was quoting Smith, and unfortunately I believed every word! Thanks for clearing things up. I definitely have a greater respect for Whittemore&#39;s life now, and will keep both eyes open in my future reading. Yet again, you have amazed me with your posts, and I greatly anticipate your topics on the siege of Boston.Tessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-22137167195189365492010-04-29T16:45:01.719-05:002010-04-29T16:45:01.719-05:00Thanks! I’ve got a couple more 19 April topics, bu...Thanks! I’ve got a couple more 19 April topics, but I hope to move on to the siege of Boston and Bunker Hill by, well, Bunker Hill Day.J. L. Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-54278013555478645842010-04-29T15:47:59.435-05:002010-04-29T15:47:59.435-05:00This is one of my favorite blogs. Your consistent...This is one of my favorite blogs. Your consistently produce great content about April 19.<br />-Greg AimoGreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16918332823654921488noreply@blogger.com